🔗 Share this article

US air traffic controllers are increasingly looking for second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty without pay amid the federal closure, the transportation secretary has announced.

"These professionals are wearing thin," the official told a news outlet on Sunday, as some flights were halted on the California shoreline due to staffing shortages.

After the federal closure on 1 October, air traffic controllers, who are deemed essential workers, were told to keep doing their duties without pay.

But a number have been missing, causing airports to halt or reduce their flight operations, which has added to setbacks caused by climate and additional factors.

More than three thousand US flights were postponed on the weekend, and Duffy stated he anticipates the situation to deteriorate further.

"I observe the pressure," Duffy said in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, noting that he had spoken to several controllers to listen to their concerns firsthand.

"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there searching, 'Should I drive Uber, can I find an alternative of earnings to cover expenses?'" he continued.

Duffy further mentioned that on Saturday twenty-two notifications at airfields indicated travel would be held up due to a lack of workers - among the peak since the shutdown started.

The US government shutdown reached its 26th day on Sunday, rendering it the second most extended shutdown in history.

Duffy has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would reduce the number of planes in the air if there is a deficit of security staff.

In his conversation, he declined to respond directly when questioned if it was safe to fly in the US, and instead issued a direct appeal to the professionals.

"I require my controllers focused on the airspace, not on the finances at home," the official stated.

On Sunday, some planes were grounded at LAX due to employee deficits, leading to disruption at the fifth most active terminal in the nation and among the most crowded in the globe, as well as additional travel extending north to the metropolis of Oakland.

The Federal Aviation Administration notice went out at 08:45 local time on the weekend. Many flights were back on schedule before noon.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport, however, were delayed an mean of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the authority indicated DFW, the second most active airport in the US, could experience problems from reduced staff later in the day.

The agency warned travelers in California to consult airlines about updated departure times.

The situation precedes Game 3 of the championship, which is scheduled in LA on Monday evening, and about one month prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, among the peak periods to travel by air in the US.

Strain on American aviation helped end a federal closure in two thousand nineteen. Back then, the halt had entered its fifth week and affected airline operations, including aviator instruction.

It prompted a number of air traffic controllers to remain absent on the same day on 25 January 2019, briefly halting travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.

That same day, the former president, who at the period was in his initial presidency as president, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, bringing an end to the federal closure after 35 days.